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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Of all things, sales of beef jerky are going through the roof, and it's all because of the latest diet craze. Andy Serwer has got the story for us this morning. He's "Minding Your Business."

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I love that stuff.

SERWER: I do too. I eat it -- I eat it for breakfast. You know, my famous breakfast here is, of course, a latte and beef jerky. A lot of people give me grief, including the crew.

O'BRIEN: What?

SERWER: Yes, it's a good one.

You know, this used to be a backorder food. I mean, no one ate beef jerky, except some people way out in the woods. But now, it has just taken off. And there is a big convention in Chicago, the National Association of Convenience Stores. And Slim Jim's, that's a whole other thing. But beef jerky is the hottest thing there. They've got teriyaki, Cajun hickory, jalapeno, pepperoni, havenero (ph), pizza, strips, chunks. And if you go to a Wal-Mart...

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: How many of those have you tried?

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: I've eaten all of that stuff. If you go to a Wal-Mart, the end-of-aisle displays, every end-of-aisle display is beef jerky. And now, they've got, you know, tender steak bites.

HEMMER: Yes.

SERWER: Yes, you don't want to look too closely at this. I'm going to put that over there. I'll tell you about that one.

And then, here is some regular beef jerky here. I was imbibing on this just earlier this morning.

So, it's just taken off, growing 25...

O'BRIEN: This is low in fat.

SERWER: Low in carbs. This is zero -- 1 percent of carbs.

HEMMER: Are you sharing?

SERWER: Yes, sure, Bill.

O'BRIEN: Here, do you like beef jerky?

HEMMER: Yes, I sure do actually.

SERWER: Beef jerky for you. That's aged. And so...

HEMMER: Only the best for Hemmer.

O'BRIEN: I don't think so.

SERWER: Right.

O'BRIEN: We don't want you getting sick throughout the show. Thanks.

HEMMER: Thank you.

SERWER: They had some interesting other stuff there. They had caffeinated gum. "The more you chew, the more you do." I like that one. It's kind of interesting.

All kinds of other companies getting in the act, too. Pizza Hut is coming out with a new healthier fit and delicious pizza slice -- there you go. Blimpie's is coming out with healthier sandwiches. Burger King has been doing this.

So, you know, this Atkins low-carb craze, if you will, is really starting to change the dietary habits of Americans and really changing the food industry and the restaurant industry big time.

O'BRIEN: It's too bad Dr. Atkins himself didn't live to see it in total.

SERWER: It's kind of interesting. Jack has some opinions on that.

O'BRIEN: He fell, please.

HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And we know (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HEMMER: Hey, you tied potatoes to it. You tied orange juice to it.

O'BRIEN: Right.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It's had a huge impact.

SERWER: Pasta, rice, I mean, all kinds of stuff.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: OK.

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